Flores and Quintana team up to pack the house for Saturday’s boxing show in Tijuana

What’s the one thing they have in common? Alexander “The Great” Flores (top, right, with his fiance), Amaris “Diamond Girl” Quintana (bottom, right) pointing to her poster, (left) Wladimir “Dr. Steel Hammer” Klitschko and his fiance actress Haydon Panettiere plus promoter Saul Rios of the Borizteca Boxing Management Group.

As an upcoming boxer, slash performer, it’s important to work on getting that name recognition. Since our memory system works with information moving from our Sensory Input through to our Sensory Memory, short-term to eventually long-term memory, a Publicist for a professional boxer has to work very hard at getting his boxer recognized by any means possible. Since our brains are programmed to pay attention to the unusual, anything different, marketers often incorporate novelties such as humor, movement or music to help their message attract not only immediate attention but move it along into our long-term memory. Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Adrien Broner have been masterful at using this strategy to become box office phenoms. Keep that “intent, goal” in mind as you read through the remainder of this article.

On Saturday night, Alexander “The Great” Flores (r) of Rowland Heights, Calif. will be facing Roman “Chino” Borquez who hails from Ensenada, B. C., Mexico.

Heavyweight boxing’s hot prospect 25 year-old Alexander “The Great” Flores (14-1-1, 12 KOs), who stands 6’4” tall and weighs 246 lbs., is the headliner on Saturday evening’s show at the Salon Mezzanine in Tijuana. This 2012 WBC Youth World Heavyweight Title holder is trained by Michael Love. In the Co-Main event, they have 26 year-old Amaris “Diamond Girl” Quintana (8-2-2, 0 KOs) who stands 5’2” tall and weighs 106 lbs., 140 pounds less than Flores. She is trained locally by Juan Medina Jr. at his gym, the Bound Boxing Academy in Chula Vista, Calif.

Flores opponent, 5’9″ Roman “Chino” Borquez (3-5-1, 2 KOs) from Ensenada, B C., Mexico will of course be looking up at Flores when they meet on Saturday night. This tough Mike Tyson-like veteran has gained a reputation for upsetting the apple cart. He’s coming off two straight wins, most notable a win over the 6’5” Rafael “El Grande” Rios. In contrast, the shorter Quintana will be looking up at her opponent the scrappy Selene Lopez (3-3-3) from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. Lopez’s losses were to the Enriquez sisters, Kenia (9-1-1) and Tania (4-0) plus Isabel Millan (9-1-1, 5 KOs).

In regards to the similarities between the fighters. A short distance from where Flores trains in Victorville, Calif., is the historic Happy Trails Ranch in Oro Grande where Roy Rogers would ride his horse Trigger, a big golden palomino stallion. Trigger, born and raised on a small ranch near San Diego, a ranch of which Bing Crosby was part-owner, appeared with the King of the Cowboys in 81 films and all 100 of Roger’s television episodes.

(l) It appears cowgirl Amaris Quintana is doing a promotional pitch for a soft drink company. (r) Roy Rogers – the “King of the Cowboys” with his horse Trigger and wife Dale Evans, together they once ruled the silver screen.

Now we add Flores connection with our local cowgirl. The petite Quintana, 14 inches shorter and 140 lbs. lighter, has a deep appreciation for animals, especially horses. At a very early age, six, she began riding horseback like the famed cowgirls of the past, like Roy Roger’s wife, Dale Evans, who wrote the classic Western tune “Happy Trails (to you)” and the legendary Annie Oakley who could out draw and out shoot most men.

Since people easily recall coincidences, idiosyncrasies, here’s one they’ll find interesting. As of this writing Quintana now owns two quarter horses. Her first goes by the name of Diamond. Diamond is now 11 years-old and had a colt at the end of last year, which Quintana christened Alexander.    

What if anything does “Dr. Steel Hammer” and Flores have in common? We know both are right around the same height (very tall) and both have a fight scheduled for this month. Flores, tomorrow night and Klitschko battles the rancorous Tyson Fury at the ESPRIT Arena, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany on November 28.

(l to r) On July 21, 2015, Wladimir Klitschko and the birdbrained challenger Tyson Fury from the United Kingdom exchanged heated words at a press conference in Duesseldorf, Germany. Photo: Sascha Steinbach/Bongarts/Getty Images

With residences in both Kiev, Ukraine and Los Angeles, the 6’6” Klitschko with his 81” reach, was born 39 years ago in Zhangiztobe, Kazakhstan. He now trains with boxer turned trainer Johnathon Banks. As a pro he has 64 victories, 3 defeats with 54 KOs. As an amateur 134 wins in 140 fights. Undoubtedly, his greatest achievement was winning that Gold Medal in the super heavyweight division at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Like Flores, Klitschko has a wonderful sense of humor. He did that hilarious video about weight gain with his brother. Flores got into boxing to lose weight. At one time he weighed 296 pounds. Like Flores, Klitschko’s one liners are classic. e.g. After being criticized in the press by Mike Tyson, Klitschko fired back: “Tyson, how many rounds did your mouth do today?”

What might Quintana have in common with Klitschko’s fiance, actress Haydon Panetiere? A lot.

(left) At Friday’s weigh-ins in Tijuana, Amaris Quintana (l) of Chula Vista, Calif. posed for this photo with her opponent Selene Lopez.

Quintana, a dynamic, minimum weight boxer from Chula Vista, Calif. has a record of (8-2-2, 1 KO) and rarely if ever weighs more than 106 pounds. It’s safe to say she rarely if ever gets to fight anyone smaller than herself. Her only losses (2), were back to back decision losses to the now-retired lightweight champ Sindy Amador. The two fights that ended in a draw were to Melissa McMorrow, the current Light Flyweight World champ. With her birthdate being October 22, 1989, that makes her two months and 1 day younger that Panettiere.

The 26 year-old Hayden Panettiere is an actress of note, a model, singer and animal rights activist. Her fighting stance? She’s also a righty who stands 5’2” tall and like Quintana, she’s been a recipient of countless awards.

Since Panettiere is playing this feisty country star Juliette Barnes on the hit TV show Nashville, her current plans involve settling down in Nashville, Tennessee with her fiance, and soon to be one year daughter Kaya Evdokia Klitschko. Panettiere and Klitschko met at a book party in 2009 on the same night Quintana was making her pro-boxing debut.

I can see it, can you? When Hollywood comes a calling for an actor to play the part of Hilary Clinton in the movie, “I could have danced all night with Bill” who do you think the casting director will have on the top of his list? Of course, Panettiere.

Now back to Mr. Flores: In September, 2011, he became the first boxer to ever sign a long term contract with Roy Englebrecht Promotions of Costa Mesa, Calif. and from his first outing on, he’s done nothing but impress. 

In his April debut in Las Vegas, he easily outpointed the much hyped, former football star Quadtrine Hill and then topped that performance with an August, 2011 destruction of former Amateur standout Serhiy Karpenko by way of a third round knockout. He returned two months later and dispatched the durable veteran Chad Davis of Phoenix.

The following year he dismantled Giovani Sarran in the second round. On May 17, he won the vacant WBC Youth Heavyweight Title with an impressive stoppage of previously unbeaten Joey Montoya of Colorado Springs, Colorado a fight which took place in front of a star studded audience at the Lakeside Country Club in Burbank, Calif.

Another major test followed in August when he faced Las Vegas native Henry Namauu on his home turf. Namauu fought gamely into the eighth and final round before finally falling after an accumulation of blows.

By December, 2012, Flores had run his record to 11-0 with 9 KOs, and was thought to be a very hot prospect. In 2013, he stopped three more opponents ending their night before the final bell.

The momentum came to a screeching halt on April 16, 2014 when he faced a 27 year-old, undefeated southpaw by the name of Charles Martin for the vacant WBO NABO heavyweight title. In that match Flores became the victim of a fourth round TKO. Like Flores, Klitschko’s first loss, also by TKO, came at the end of his fourth year as a Pro.

Alexander Flores (r) said he is determined to make up for this nightmarish loss to Charles Martin (l) which happened in 2014, in his fourth year as professional boxer. One of a kind photo was taken by: Peter Politanoff

A similar occurrence happened to Wladimir Klitschko (shown here with the white towel draped over his head). Like Flores, Klitschko lost his first fight near the close of his fourth year as a Pro-boxer. The victorious, little known, Ross Puritty was a 6-1 underdog on December 5, 1998. 

Wladimir Klitschko remembers: “On that night, I didn’t stick to my game plan. I wasted my energy and I wasted my punches. The loss hurt me like a deep scar. But I also gained a lot of experience.”

A week before his Friday, November 6 weigh-in for the fight in Tijuana, Flores had the following telephone conversation with his manager Roy Englebrecht about the upcoming fight. In their conversation Englebrecht mentioned that he would be unable to attend Flores’ fight. Flores, saddened by the news, understood fully after Englebrecht explained that his family was throwing him this huge party on the same day as his fight to celebrate Englebrecht’s 70th birthday. Flores then said, “Oh yeah! That’s great! Happy Birthday! I want to get you something, a present.” Englebrecht then said, “That won’t be necessary. A win over Borquez, that’s the only present I want.”

Now, after reading this article, with all the many tie-ins, you should be able to carry on a more enlightened conversation with the person sitting next to you at the fights, on Saturday, November 7, starting around 7:30 p.m. at the Salon Mezzanine in Tijuana, B. C., Mexico. See you there.